Kent Carpenter, a 73-year-old American marine biologist, was shot dead by three masked men in the central Philippines, police said on Tuesday. Carpenter was with his Filipina companion in a house in the coastal town of Sibulan, in Negros Oriental province, on Sunday night when the men forced their way in.
Background
Carpenter was a marine biologist who had worked as a lecturer at the Silliman University, in Dumaguete city, Negros Oriental. He had been a biological sciences professor at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, since 1996. His research focused on the Philippines and the Coral Triangle between the Indian and Pacific oceans, shaping conservation efforts around the world.
Carpenter’s companion sustained unspecified injuries and was being treated. Investigators were trying to determine the motive for the killing and identify the attackers. The U.S. Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reaction
Regional police director Brig. Gen. Romano Cardiño said, “We assure the victim’s family, the community and our foreign visitors that this case is being treated with utmost urgency and no effort will be spared until justice is served.” Old Dominion President Brian Hemphill described Carpenter’s killing as sad and devastating, saying his scholarship and passion impacted and inspired many individuals locally, nationally, and internationally.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
